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Lusitania Medallion

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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The sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat, on May 7, 1915, with its large number of American passengers en route from New York to Liverpool, England, provoked great outrage in the United States and helped create the climate of public opinion that later allowed America to join World War I (WWI). The ship sank in 18 minutes, with a loss of 1,195 of the 1,959 on board, including 123 Americans. German medallions were issued after the sinking. British replicas of the medallion, like this one, were produced in attractive cardboard presentation boxes accompanied by text pointing out disturbing ambiguities offered by the German original and suggesting that the original medallion sought to celebrate the sinking in terms of a naval victory.

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